Inductor bridge and electronic device

ABSTRACT

An inductor bridge is configured to bridge-connect a first circuit and a second circuit to each other, and includes a flexible flat plate base body, a first connector at a first end portion of the base body and connected to the first circuit, a second connector at a second end portion of the base body and connected to the second circuit, and an inductor section in the base body between the first connector and the second connector. The inductor section includes conductor patterns including a plurality of layers. The inductor bridge further includes a bending portion between the inductor section and the first connector, and a slot at an inner side of the bending portion that reduces a thickness of the base body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an element connecting two circuits.More particularly, the present invention relates to an inductor bridgeincluding an inductance component, and to an electronic device includingthe inductor bridge.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a small-sized electronic device, such as a mobile terminal, whichincludes a plurality of circuit mounting members, e.g., boards, in acasing, the circuit mounting members are connected to each other by aflat cable having flexibility, as disclosed in International PublicationNo. 2005/114778, for example.

In a related-art electronic device including a plurality of boards thatare connected to each other by a flat cable, electronic components aremounted to the boards, as required, to constitute a circuit per board,and the flat cable is used simply as a wiring member for connectionbetween the boards.

In the above-described electronic device including the plurality ofcircuit mounting members such as boards, for example, an inductorrequired for the circuit is realized by mounting a chip inductor to theboard, or by forming a conductor pattern for the inductor on the board.

However, the structure of mounting the chip inductor to the board has adifficulty in thinning the board and provides a factor impeding sizereduction in the entirety of the electronic device. On the other hand,the structure of forming the inductor as the conductor pattern(hereinafter called a “pattern inductor”) occupies a relatively largearea with respect to the circuit formed on the board, and also providesa factor impeding size reduction of the electronic device.

It is a matter of course that, in any of the cases using the chipinductor and the pattern inductor, the size reduction can be realized byforming a finer conductor pattern. However, the finer conductor patterncauses the problem of increasing a DC resistance component and reducinga Q-value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention achieve size reduction ofan electronic device that includes an electronic circuit including aninductor, and provide an inductor bridge that is easy to use in a bentstate, and an electronic device including the inductor bridge.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, aninductor bridge bridge-connects a first circuit and a second circuit toeach other, the inductor bridge including a flexible flat plate basebody, a first connecting portion at a first end portion of the base bodyand connected to the first circuit, a second connecting portion at asecond end portion of the base body and connected to the second circuit,and an inductor section in the base body between the first connectingportion and the second connecting portion, wherein the inductor sectionincludes conductor patterns including a plurality of layers, theinductor bridge further includes a bending portion between the inductorsection and the first connecting portion, and a slot at an inner side ofthe bending portion that reduces a thickness of the base body, and theinductor section includes the conductor patterns that have a coil axisoriented in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular toa principal surface of the base body, and that include the plurality oflayers in a helical shape, the helical conductor patterns being locatedat positions near the slot along a lateral surface of the slot.

When an inductor bridge that bridge-connects two circuits in anelectronic device is constituted by incorporating, in a flexible basebody, an element or a member including an inductance component, theinductor bridge preferably is assembled into the electronic device in abent or folded state as the occasion requires. However, using simply theflexible base body causes the problem that it is difficult to bend (orfold) the inductor bridge with a large curvature, and to assemble theinductor bridge into the electronic device in a state bent (folded) witha large curvature. Another problem is, for example, that a bent (folded)position of the inductor bridge is not definitely defined, andelectrical characteristics are not stabilized.

With the features described above, the inductor bridge is easily bent atthe slot and is able to be bent with a large curvature. Therefore, theinductor bridge is easily assembled into the electronic device in thestate bent with a large curvature. Moreover, the bent (folded) positionof the inductor bridge is reliably defined and provided, and theelectrical characteristics are stabilized.

In addition, the inductor section includes the conductor patterns thathave the coil axis oriented in the direction perpendicular orsubstantially parallel to the principal surface of the base body, andthat include the plurality of layers in a helical shape, the helicalconductor patterns being located at positions near the slot along theshape of the lateral surface of the slot. Therefore, a line length ofthe conductor patterns in the inductor section is substantiallyincreased, and the overall size is reduced.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, aninductor bridge that bridge-connects a first circuit and a secondcircuit to each other includes a flexible flat plate base body, a firstconnecting portion at a first end portion of the base body and connectedto the first circuit, a second connecting portion at a second endportion of the base body and connected to the second circuit, and aninductor section in the base body between the first connecting portionand the second connecting portion, wherein the inductor section includesconductor patterns including a plurality of layers, the inductor bridgefurther includes a bending portion between the inductor section and thefirst connecting portion, and a slot at an inner side of the bendingportion to reduce a thickness of the base body, and the conductorpatterns of the inductor section include a pattern width in a layercloser to a surface of the base body smaller than a pattern width in alayer at an inner side of the base body.

With the structure described above, an undesired capacitance generatedbetween the conductor pattern in the layer closer to the surface of thebase body and an external conductor is significantly reduced orprevented.

Preferably, the slot has a sectional shape that is wider at a frontopening side than at an inner bottom side of the slot. With thisstructure, inner surfaces of the slot are less more likely to interferewith each other in the bent state of the inductor bridge, and theinductor bridge is capable of being bent with a larger curvature.

Preferably, a floating electrode (dummy pattern) is provided at aposition overlapping the slot when looking at the base body in a planview. With that structure, the inductor bridge is more apt toplastically deform at the slot, and the occurrence of breakage in thefolded portion is significantly reduced or prevented.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, an electronic device includes the inductor bridge accordingto any of the preferred embodiments of the present invention describedabove, the first circuit, and the second circuit, wherein the firstcircuit is a mounting board inside the electronic device, and theinductor bridge is disposed with the coil axis of the inductor sectionthat is not perpendicular to the mounting board.

With the structure described above, an undesired capacitance generatedbetween the inductor bridge and the mounting board is significantlyreduced or prevented.

According to various preferred embodiments of the present invention, theinductor bridge is capable of being easily bent or folded at the slotand is capable of being bent (folded) with a large curvature.Furthermore, the bent (folded) position is definitely defined andelectrical characteristics are stabilized.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an inductor bridge according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention when looking at theinductor bridge from the connector side, and FIG. 1B is a perspectiveview of the inductor bridge when looking at the inductor bridge from therear side.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the inductor bridge accordingto the first preferred embodiment of the present invention in amanufacturing process, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a base body.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view of the inductor bridge according to thefirst preferred embodiment of the present invention in a bent (folded)state, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the inductor bridge in a statearranged along an external member.

FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of an applicationof the inductor bridge to an electronic device, and FIG. 4B is anequivalent circuit diagram thereof.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram illustrating another example of anapplication of the inductor bridge, and FIG. 5B is an equivalent circuitdiagram thereof.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an inductor bridge accordingto a second preferred embodiment of the present invention in amanufacturing process.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the inductor bridge according to thesecond preferred embodiment of the present invention in a bent (folded)state.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an inductor bridge accordingto a third preferred embodiment of the present invention in amanufacturing process.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the inductor bridge according to the thirdpreferred embodiment of the present invention in a state assembled intoan electronic device.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an inductor bridge according to a fourthpreferred embodiment of the present invention in a state assembled intoan electronic device, the sectional view illustrating a state where amounting board and an antenna board are connected to each other by theinductor bridge.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a principal portion of an inductor bridgeaccording to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described belowin connection with several practical examples by referring to thedrawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the samesigns. The following preferred embodiments are merely illustrative, andconstituent elements of the different preferred embodiments can bepartly replaced or combined in optional ways.

First Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an inductor bridge 101 according to afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention when looking at theinductor bridge from the connector side, and FIG. 1B is a perspectiveview of the inductor bridge when looking at the inductor bridge from therear side.

The inductor bridge 101 is an element configured to bridge-connect afirst circuit and a second circuit to each other. As is apparent fromFIG. 1A, the inductor bridge 101 includes a base body 10 preferably inthe form of a flat plate having flexibility, a first connector 51, and asecond connector 52. An inductor section, described later, is preferablyprovided inside the base body 10. The first connector 51 is disposed ina first end portion of the base body 10 and is connected to the firstcircuit through mechanical contact between them. The second connector 52is disposed in a second end portion of the base body and is connected tothe second circuit through mechanical contact between them. The firstconnector 51 corresponds to a “first connecting portion”, and the secondconnector 52 corresponds to a “second connecting portion”. Furthermore,as is apparent from FIG. 1B, a slot (groove) 10D is provided in the basebody 10 to reduce a thickness of the base body 10. The slot 10D ispreferably provided in a bending portion between the inductor sectionand the first connecting portion.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the inductor bridge 101according to the first preferred embodiment in a manufacturing process,and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the base body 10.

As is apparent from FIG. 2A, the base body 10 preferably is formed bylaminating flexible resin base materials 11, 12, 13 and 14 that areeach, e.g., a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). The laminated resin basematerials 12, 13 and 14 provide an inductor section 30 that includesconductor patterns 31, 32 and 33 and interlayer connecting conductors(hereinafter referred to as “via conductors”). The inductor section 30constitutes a coil preferably having a rectangular or substantiallyrectangular helical shape with a coil axis oriented in a directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to surfaces of the resinbase materials 12, 13 and 14 (i.e., perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to a principal surface of the base body). A first end of awiring pattern 21 is connected to one end of the conductor pattern 31.

Connector mounting electrodes 41 and 42 to mount the connectors 51 and52, respectively, are provided on the resin base material 11. Theconnector mounting electrode 41 is connected to a second terminal of thewiring pattern 21 through the via conductor. The connector mountingelectrode 42 is connected to one end of the conductor pattern 33 throughthe via conductor.

A resist layer 61 is provided on a lower surface of the resin basematerial 11, and a resist layer 62 is provided on an upper surface ofthe resin base material 14. It is to be noted that the resist layer 62is not essential and it may be omitted in some cases.

The slot 10D illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B is formed preferably bylaser processing, for example. In particular, when the resin basematerials are each the liquid crystal polymer (LCP), exposed innersurfaces of the slot are fusion-bonded together by carrying out thelaser processing. Therefore, gaps between laminated layers are lesslikely to occur, and the interface between adjacent two layers of theplural resin base materials is harder to peel off. As a result,reliability of the inductor bridge 101 is ensured, and ingress ofmoisture through the interface is less apt to occur.

The slot 10D may be formed by cutting work using a dicer, for example.Alternatively, the slot 10D may be obtained by previously forming a slitin a region of each of predetermined ones of the plural resin basematerials to be laminated, where the slot is to be formed afterlaminating the resin base materials.

A non-limiting example of a method for manufacturing the inductor bridge101 is as follows.

First, various electrodes and conductor patterns are formed on the resinbase materials 11 to 14 by laminating, for each layer, the resin basematerial and a metal foil (e.g., a copper foil), and by patterning themetal foil with photolithography, for example. Then, the via conductorsare formed through the resin base materials 12, 13 and 14. The viaconductors are each formed by boring a penetration hole in the resinbase material with a laser, for example, putting a conductive paste,which contains copper, silver, tin or the like, in the penetration hole,and by solidifying the conductive paste in a subsequent heating andpressing step.

A laminate is obtained by stacking the resin base materials 11 to 14,and by heating and pressing them.

The resist layers 61 and 62 are formed respectively on opposite surfacesof the laminate by printing.

The slot 10D is formed.

The individual inductor bridges 101 are obtained by cutting a collectiveboard into pieces.

The inductor bridge 101 is bent at the slot 10D while the base body ofthe inductor bridge 101 is heated.

The connectors 51 and 52 are mounted by soldering.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view of the inductor bridge 101 according to thefirst preferred embodiment in a bent (folded) state, and FIG. 3B is asectional view of the inductor bridge 101 in a state arranged along anexternal member 85. The inductor bridge 101 is used in the state foldedat the slot 10D such that the slot 10D is positioned at the inner sideof bending (i.e., the inner peripheral side of a bent portion).

Thus, since the slot (groove) 10D is preferably provided at the innerside of the bending portion to reduce the thickness of the base body 10,the inductor bridge 101 is capable of being easily bent at the slot 10Dand is able to be bent with a large curvature. Furthermore, since theinductor bridge 101 is folded at the position of the slot 10D, aposition at which the inductor bridge 101 is folded is reliably andaccurately defined, and electrical characteristics are stabilized. Inother words, since a position at which the inductor section 30 is formedis less susceptible to bending, fluctuations of the electricalcharacteristics are kept smaller when the inductor bridge 101 definesand functions as an inductor.

Besides, the slot 10D preferably has a sectional shape such that a widthof the slot is larger at the front opening side (i.e., the inner sidewhen viewed in a bending direction) than at the inner bottom side.Therefore, the inductor bridge is capable of being folded with a largercurvature.

Even when the slot is provided at the outer side of the bending (i.e.,at the outer peripheral side of the bent portion), for example, theinductor bridge also is capable of being folded with a large curvature.However, such a case accompanies the problem that cracking or breakageis more likely to occur in the slot.

In FIG. 3A, a stray capacitance CS represents a stray capacitancegenerated particularly between the conductor pattern 33 and the wiringpattern 21. When the inductor bridge 101 is bent (folded), an opposingcomponent area between the conductor pattern 33 and the wiring pattern21 is increased, and the spacing between them is narrowed. Accordingly,the stray capacitance CS is generated. On the other hand, in theinductor bridge 101, the slot 10D is provided in the base body 10 at thebent (folded) position, and the slot 10D provides a space in which thebase body 10 having a certain dielectric constant is not provided, thespace being filled with air. Hence the stray capacitance CS is heldrelatively small. As a result, the self-resonance frequency of theinductor is kept relatively high, and the inductor bridge is able to beused over a wider band.

FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of application ofthe inductor bridge 101 to an electronic device, and FIG. 4B is anequivalent circuit diagram thereof. An inductor L1 in FIGS. 4A and 4Bcorresponds to the inductor bridge 101. An antenna element pattern 91 isprovided on an antenna board, for example. The first connector 51 of theinductor bridge 101 is connected to a feeding point of the antennaelement pattern 91 or to a position extended from the feeding point. Thesecond connector 52 of the inductor bridge 101 is connected to aconnecting portion that is provided on an upper surface of a mountingboard.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, impedance matching between a feed circuit(RFIC) and an antenna ANT and frequency characteristics of the antennaare determined by the inductor L1 that is connected between the antennaANT and the RFIC.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram illustrating another example of applicationof the inductor bridge, and FIG. 5B is an equivalent circuit diagramthereof. In this example, an antenna is preferably configured byinserting an inductor between a ground connecting point of an invertedF-type antenna and a ground.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, an inductor L2 corresponds to the inductor bridge101. The inductor L2 is connected between an antenna ANT and the ground,thus constituting the inverted F-type antenna. More specifically, asillustrated in FIG. 5B, the inductor L2 is connected between one end ofan antenna element pattern 91 and the ground, and a feed circuit (RFIC)is connected to the antenna element pattern 91 at a position near theinductor L2.

Second Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an inductor bridge 102according to a second preferred embodiment in a manufacturing process.FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the inductor bridge 102 in a bent (folded)state.

A floating electrode (dummy electrode) 36 is provided on the resin basematerial 13 in addition to the conductor pattern 32 of the inductorsection 30. The other points preferably are the same as those in theinductor bridge 101, illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, described in thefirst preferred embodiment. The slot 10D is also illustrated in FIG. 6.

The floating electrode 36 is provided at a position overlapping the slot10D when looking at the base body 10 in a plan view. Because thefloating electrode 36 is plastically deformed, the inductor bridge 101is more apt to plastically deform at the slot 10D. Furthermore, becausethe floating electrode 36 acts to relieve stress concentrated on a bentportion, the occurrence of breakage of the bent portion anddisconnection of the wiring pattern 21 is significantly reduced orprevented. The floating electrode 36 may be provided in the layerpositioned farther than the wiring pattern 21 when viewed from the slot10D.

Additionally, the floating electrode 36 is provided at the position notoverlapping the wiring pattern 21 when looking at the base body 10 in aplan view. Therefore, the influence of the floating electrode 36 uponthe electrical characteristics is small.

The floating electrode 36 may be provided at a position entirelyoverlapping the position where the slot 10D is formed. With such astructure, when the slot 10D is preferably formed by the laserprocessing, the floating electrode 36 preferably is used as a stopperfor a laser beam, and accuracy in depth of the slot 10D is increased.

Third Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an inductor bridge 103according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention in amanufacturing process. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the inductor bridge103 in a state assembled into an electronic device.

As is apparent from FIG. 8, an inductor section 30 including conductorpatterns 31, 32 and 33 and via conductors is formed in three 12 to 14 ofresin base materials 11 to 15. The inductor section 30 constitutes acoil preferably with a rectangular or substantially rectangular helicalshape. A first end of a wiring pattern 21 is connected to one end of theconductor pattern 31.

A base body of the inductor bridge 103 is preferably formed bylaminating the above-mentioned plural resin base materials. Line widthsof the conductor patterns 31 and 33 provided in layers closer to bothsurfaces of the base body are smaller than that of the conductor pattern32 provided in a layer positioned at the inner side of the base body.Therefore, as described later, it is possible to reduce an undesiredcapacitance that is generated between the conductor patterns provided inthe layers closer to the surfaces of the base body and an externalconductor.

Connector mounting electrodes 41 and 42 to mount the connectors 51 and52 are provided on the resin base materials 11 and 15, respectively. Theconnector mounting electrode 41 is connected to a second terminal of thewiring pattern 21 through the via conductor. The connector mountingelectrode 42 is connected to an end portion of a wiring pattern 22through the via conductor.

When looking at the base body in a plan view, a slot 10D1 is provided ata position intersecting the wiring pattern 21. Moreover, a slot 10D2 isprovided at a position intersecting the wiring pattern 22. With such anarrangement, the inductor bridge 103 is able to be used in a state bentat two bending portions.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating a state where a mounting board201 and an antenna board 301 are connected to each other by the inductorbridge 103.

The above-mentioned antenna element pattern is provided on the antennaboard 301. The second connector 52 of the inductor bridge 103 isconnected to an end portion of the antenna element pattern or to aposition extended from the relevant end portion. The first connector 51of the inductor bridge 103 is connected to a connecting portion that isprovided on an upper surface of the mounting board 201.

The inductor bridge 103 of this preferred embodiment is applied, forexample, to an inductor portion in the circuit illustrated in FIGS. 4Aand 4B or illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

A surface-mounted component 86 is mounted to the mounting board 201.

The conductor pattern 31 as a portion of the inductor section 30 of theinductor bridge 103 is provided at a position opposing to thesurface-mounted component 86. Since the line width of the conductorpattern 31 is relatively small as described above, an undesiredcapacitance generated between the conductor pattern 31 and thesurface-mounted component 86 is small.

Furthermore, as denoted by one-dot-chain lines in FIG. 9, the conductorpatterns of the inductor section 30 are configured such that their endsare positioned near the slots 10D1 and 10D2 along respective shapes oflateral surfaces of the slots 10D1 and 10D2. More specifically,referring to FIG. 8, the conductor patterns 31, 32 and 33 are graduallyshifted in a lengthwise direction of the base body in an obliquelyarrayed fashion. Stated in another way, the conductor patterns 31, 32and 33 are configured such that a coil winding axis of the inductorsection 30 is inclined obliquely with respect to the directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the base body. With sucha structure, a line length of the conductor patterns 31, 32 and 33 inthe inductor section 30 is substantially increased, and the overall sizeis reduced.

Fourth Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an inductor bridge 104 according to afourth preferred embodiment of the present invention in a stateassembled into an electronic device, the sectional view illustrating astate where a mounting board 201 and an antenna board 301 are connectedto each other by the inductor bridge 104. The inductor bridge 104preferably has the same structure as that in the third preferredembodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the above-mentioned antenna element patternis provided on the antenna board 301. The second connector 52 of theinductor bridge 104 is connected to an end portion of the antennaelement pattern or to a position extended from the relevant end portion.The first connector 51 of the inductor bridge 104 is connected to aconnecting portion that is provided on an upper surface of the mountingboard 201. The connecting portion on the mounting board 201 iselectrically conducted to a ground conductor GND extending in a planarshape.

The inductor bridge 104 is disposed such that the inductor section 30thereof extends in a direction perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to the mounting board 201. With such an arrangement, acoil winding axis of the inductor section 30 lies parallel orsubstantially parallel to the ground conductor GND that is formed in themounting board 201. Therefore, the inductor section 30 is made lesssusceptible to the influence of the ground conductor GND. In otherwords, undesired coupling between the inductor section 30 and the groundconductor GND is significantly reduced or prevented, and an eddy currentgenerated in the ground conductor GND is also significantly reduced orprevented.

It is to be noted that the coil winding axis of the inductor section 30is not always required to be perfectly parallel to the mounting board201, and that insofar as the coil winding axis is set at least to be notperpendicular to the mounting board 201, the above-mentioned effect isgenerated at a certain extent depending on an angle of the coil windingaxis with respect to the mounting board 201. For the purpose of reducingthe eddy current, an angle defined between a plane defined by theinductor section 30 and the mounting board is preferably within a rangeof about 60° to about 120°, for example. More preferably, such an angleis within a range of about 80° to about 100°, for example.

Fifth Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a principal portion of an inductor bridgeaccording to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention.While, in the preferred embodiments described above, the slot having aninverted trapezoidal shape in section is preferably provided in the basebody 10, the sectional shape of the slot is not limited to the invertedtrapezoidal shape. The slot may have a step-shaped configuration asillustrated in FIG. 11.

While the preferred embodiments have been described above in connectionwith an example in which the base body of the inductor bridge is foldedat an angle of about 90°, for example, the folded angle may be an acuteangle or an obtuse angle. Moreover, while the preferred embodiments havebeen described above in connection with an example in which the basebody of the inductor bridge is bent (folded) at one or two positions, itmay be bent (folded) at three or more positions.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inductor bridge configured to bridge-connect afirst circuit and a second circuit to each other, the inductor bridgecomprising: a flexible flat plate base body; a first connecting portionat a first end portion of the base body and connected to the firstcircuit; a second connecting portion at a second end portion of the basebody and connected to the second circuit; and an inductor section in thebase body between the first connecting portion and the second connectingportion; wherein the inductor section includes conductor patternsincluding a plurality of layers; the inductor bridge includes a bendingportion between the inductor section and the first connecting portion,and a slot at an inner side of the bending portion that reduces athickness of the base body; the inductor section includes the conductorpatterns that have a coil axis oriented in a direction perpendicular orsubstantially perpendicular to a principal surface of the base body, andthat are included in the plurality of layers in a helical shape; and thehelical conductor patterns are located near the slot along a lateralsurface of the slot.
 2. The inductor bridge according to claim 1,wherein the slot has a sectional shape that is wider at a front openingside than at an inner bottom side of the slot.
 3. The inductor bridgeaccording to claim 1, wherein a floating electrode is provided at aposition overlapping the slot when looking at the base body in a planview.
 4. The inductor bridge according to claim 1, wherein the inductorsection defines a coil having a rectangular or substantially rectangularhelical shape with the coil axis oriented in a direction perpendicularor substantially perpendicular to surfaces of resin base material layersof the base body.
 5. The inductor bridge according to claim 1, whereinthe base body includes a plurality of resin base material layers.
 6. Theinductor bridge according to claim 5, wherein a resist is provided on atleast one of the resin base material layers.
 7. The inductor bridgeaccording to claim 1, wherein the inductor bridge is configured to befolded at a position of the slot.
 8. The inductor bridge according toclaim 1, wherein the slot has one of an inverted trapezoidal shape insection and a stepped shape.
 9. An electronic device comprising: theinductor bridge according to claim 1; the first circuit; and the secondcircuit; wherein the first circuit is a mounting board inside theelectronic device; and the inductor bridge is disposed with the coilaxis of the inductor section being not perpendicular to the mountingboard.
 10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein theelectronic device is an antenna.
 11. An inductor bridge configured tobridge-connect a first circuit and a second circuit to each other, theinductor bridge comprising: a flexible flat plate base body; a firstconnecting portion at a first end portion of the base body and connectedto the first circuit; a second connecting portion at a second endportion of the base body and connected to the second circuit; and aninductor section in the base body between the first connecting portionand the second connecting portion; wherein the inductor section includesconductor patterns including a plurality of layers; the inductor bridgeincludes a bending portion between the inductor section and the firstconnecting portion, and a slot at an inner side of the bending portionthat reduces a thickness of the base body; and the conductor patterns ofthe inductor section include a pattern width on a layer closer to asurface of the base body that is smaller than a pattern width on a layerat an inner side of the base body.
 12. The inductor bridge according toclaim 11, wherein the slot has a sectional shape that is wider at afront opening side than at an inner bottom side of the slot.
 13. Theinductor bridge according to claim 11, wherein a floating electrode isprovided at a position overlapping the slot when looking at the basebody in a plan view.
 14. The inductor bridge according to claim 11,wherein the inductor section defines a coil having a rectangular orsubstantially rectangular helical shape with the coil axis oriented in adirection perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to surfaces ofresin base material layers of the base body.
 15. The inductor bridgeaccording to claim 11, wherein the base body includes a plurality ofresin base material layers.
 16. The inductor bridge according to claim15, wherein a resist is provided on at least one of the resin basematerial layers.
 17. The inductor bridge according to claim 11, whereinthe inductor bridge is configured to be folded at a position of theslot.
 18. The inductor bridge according to claim 11, wherein the slothas one of an inverted trapezoidal shape in section and a stepped shape.19. An electronic device comprising: the inductor bridge according toclaim 11; the first circuit; and the second circuit; wherein the firstcircuit is a mounting board inside the electronic device; and theinductor bridge is disposed with the coil axis of the inductor sectionbeing not perpendicular to the mounting board.
 20. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 19, wherein the electronic device is an antenna.